Page 42

I couldn't let him go.

Chapter 13

Gennady

Her kiss was soft as a feather, but it hit me right in the chest, where it hurt the most. I looked down at the woman trembling in my arms, her face pale from fear, her eyes brimming with a desperate need for me. My phone kept buzzing in my pocket, screaming for me to deal with those fucking bastards who'd tried to take her. But right now, my world was just her.

??? ??????? was breaking apart.

"Okay," I said, brushing my fingers along her cheek, feeling her shake beneath my touch. "I'm not going anywhere."

Her eyes lit up with something like gratitude, and she clung to me like I was her lifeline in this fucked-up, dangerous world.

I pulled out my phone and fired off a quick text to Dimitri: Handle it. Bring me a live one. Then I powered it off. Tonight, she had my full attention.

"Come on," I said softly, guiding her toward the bed.

The room's dim lighting cast a warm glow, the heavy curtains shutting out the chaos of the world outside. But her body wasstill wound tight, fear coursing through her like a live wire. She didn't just need safety—she needed to feel in control again.

"Cassie, look at me." I cupped her chin gently, tilting her face until her eyes met mine.

Her gaze was still clouded with the panic from tonight, that helpless terror that made my chest ache. ??? ???????, she was supposed to be safe under my watch, not nearly taken by those fucking idiots. The thought made me want to rip heads off, but more than that, I wanted to fix her, to erase that fear.

"You're still shaking," I said, my hand gliding over her shoulder, feeling the tension knotted in her muscles.

"I can't stop," she admitted, her voice thick with frustration. "Every time I close my eyes, I see those masks, feel their hands on me."

I got it. She needed to take back control of her body, to overwrite those memories with something stronger, something better.

"Then let me help you."

My voice dropped, low and possessive, the tone I knew she responded to. Her pupils flared, her body shifting subtly, like a spark had been lit.

"Do you trust me?" I asked, locking eyes with her.

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

I leaned down, kissing her hard, almost biting, pouring every ounce of need and possession into it. She tensed at first, then melted into me, her body softening under my hands. The kiss was raw, hungry, claiming.

"Tonight, it's just you and me," I murmured against her ear. "My voice, my touch, my everything. Nothing else matters."

She nodded, and I saw it—the fear in her eyes giving way to something else. Desire. A need to let go, to let me take over.

I started unbuttoning her blouse, slow and deliberate, each move heavy with purpose. This wasn't just about getting herclothes off—it was about stripping away the fear, the doubt, the chaos of tonight.

"You're beautiful," I said, meaning every word, watching her skin flush under my gaze.

"Gennady," she whispered, her voice shaky.

"No. Don't talk. Just feel."

I reached for a silk scarf from the bedside, gently tying it over her eyes. Not to control her, but to free her—to let her shut out the world and just be here, with me.

"Now, you don't have to think," I said, my voice low, almost hypnotic. "Just feel me."

She closed her eyes beneath the scarf, surrendering completely. That trust, that total submission, hit me like a freight train. It wasn't just about desire—it was a responsibility. I had to make her forget the terror, the rough hands, the cold threats. I had to rebuild her sense of safety, my way.

My hands moved with deliberate force, pinning her wrists above her head against the soft mattress, my grip firm enough to leave faint marks but never crossing into true pain. I leaned down, my body pressing heavily against hers, the weight of me a dominant anchor that she couldn't escape—nor did she want to. Her breath hitched, a mix of anticipation and lingering vulnerability, as I trailed rough kisses along her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin with my teeth, hard enough to elicit a gasp but followed immediately by the soothing swipe of my tongue.